Yogurt is yogurt is yogurt

Wednesday

Feb 20, 2013 at 12:20 AM

All we wanted was plain yogurt. Lowfat would be nice. What we gagged at the thought of eating was non-fat yogurt. That smooth, oily stuff promoted as being ever so healthy.

Our ship, Holland America's Zuiderdam sailed out of Fort Lauderdale for a 10-day cruise in the Carribean Sea. Surely, with a firm attachment to European cuisine, a variety of restaurants and two expansive buffets on board, plain yogurt would be a staple in at least one galley.

There seemed to be every kind of food available from hot dogs to sushi, hamburgers to lobster.

Daughter Tamela and I looked forward to being spoiled for choice and part of the pampering was room service.

There is nothing like having my morning tea and Tamela's coffee brought to our cabin before the day's adventures.

First night out, we checked off our breakfast preferences on a printed list and hung it on the cabin's door handle, coffee one, tea one, fruit two and plain lowfat yogurt two.

Promptly at 6 a.m. as requested, there was a knock on our cabin door. The thought of a hot cup of tea had me staggering to let in K, our room steward, who came in with a super-sized tray.

Everything was there including two containers of plain yogurt, nonfat yogurt.

Almost in unison, Tamela and I said that we had requested plain lowfat yogurt.

"Yes madams, that is plain yogurt," said K, he of the unpronounceable name

"That is non-fat yogurt and we asked for lowfat yogurt," we explained.

"That is all we have," he said. It was obvious he simply did not understand why we were having a problem.

Non-fat, lowfat, to him, yogurt was yogurt. Diplomat that he was, he said "I will check with my supervisor" and he backed out of the cabin.